DESIGN & BUILD
DESIGN FOR THE FUTURE T SPIRIT CONSUMPTION AROUND THE WORLD CONTINUES TO GROW, AND AS IT DOES, CUSTOMERS ARE DEMANDING MORE FROM THE SPIRIT INDUSTRY. GREEN CREDENTIALS AND SUSTAINABILITY PLATFORMS HAVE GROWN IN IMPORTANCE AS MUCH AS QUALITY AND FLAVOUR. BRIGGS OF BURTON’S SCOTT DAVIES TALKS TO RHIAN OWEN ABOUT THE MAJOR ISSUES AND CHALLENGES FACING THE INDUSTRY TODAY
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AUTUMN 2022
o most consumers and fans,
automation and control and chemical
today’s distilling industry
engineers to design and build systems.
seems like it has changed
Recently the Briggs’ team has been busy
very little in the last three-
working on a major tequila distillery in
hundred years. But, for
Jalisco, Mexico.
one thing, today’s customers and their
choices are certainly keeping the industry
“Our involvement has been the design
on its toes.
and engineering to take the agave, put in
A shift towards a growing interest in
all the steps and processes and control
holistic wellbeing, health, and the
systems to then ensure that agave is
environment, has undoubtedly been
processed, whether it be fermented or
changing the landscape. Now, with the
distilled, and exits that process in a filled
rise in fuel and raw material prices, the
bottle ready for shipment,” says Davies.
industry must wonder, will they be able
“So, we’re not necessarily interfacing
to meet their customers’ demands, while
with the farmers nor with the shippers
maintaining a healthy bottom line?
of those glass bottles, but we really sit in bridging that piece from taking a raw
PARTNERING UP
material and turning it into a spirit, a whole variety of scales and for a range
The world’s oldest and number one
of spirits around the world. And that’s
distilling and brewing design and
definitely the excitement of the team;
engineering company, Briggs of Burton,
working with a variety of spirit types and
has been aiding distillers reach their and
the challenge that different geographies
their customers’ goal since 1732. The
present.”
company has worked with Beam Suntory, Diageo, Pernod Ricard, Jose Cuervo,
THE TEQUILA ASCENSION
Loch Lomond and numerous other spirit and beer companies on every continent
According to Statista, in 2021, Mexico
except for Antarctica. Recent and on-
produced 527 million litres of tequila,
going major turn-key projects have been
the highest volume recorded since
in China, Scotland, England, Mexico, and
1995. Within two and a half decades,
the USA.
production of this tequila increased
Briggs of Burton are referred to as a
by approximately 405 percent, with a
‘process engineering company’. Scott
difference of 153 million litres between
Davies of Briggs says this means they
2020 and 2021.
focus on the end-to-end manufacturing
Made from the blue agave plant, tequila
of a product: “It’s a one stop shop for a
has “denomination of origin” protection
distillery project whether that’s a copper
and can only be legally produced in
pot still, tank farm expansion, or new
certain municipalities in Mexico. The main
greenfield distillery,” says Davies
production centre is the town of Tequila,
.
Jalisco, located about 60 kilometres
The team is made up of process
northwest of Guadalajara. Tequila is
engineers, mechanical and industrial
Mexico’s third biggest agri-food export
DISTILLERS JOURNAL
